1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information record medium such as an optical disk of a high recording density type, which is capable of recording information such as video information, audio information and the like at a high density, and which is represented by a DVD (Digital Video or Versatile Disk). The present invention also relates to a recording apparatus for recording the information onto the information record medium, and a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information from the information record medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a so-called ID (Laser Disk) and a so-called CD (Compact Disk) are generalized as optical disks, on which information such as video information, audio information and the like is recorded.
On the ID or the like, the video information and the audio information are recorded together with time information indicating a time at which each information is to be reproduced with respect to a reproduction start position, which each ID or the like has, as a standard position. Thus, other than a general normal reproduction to reproduce the recorded information in the order of recording, various special reproductions are possible, such as a reproduction to extract and listen to an only desirable music out of a plurality of recorded musics, a reproduction to listen to the recorded musics in a random order and soon, in case of the CD, for example.
However, there is a problem that, according to the above mentioned LD or the like, a so-called interactive and variegated reproduction is not possible in which the audience can have a plurality of selection branches as for the video or audio information to be displayed or sound-outputted and in which the audience can select them to watch or listen to it.
More specifically, when watching and listening are directed to a foreign movie recorded on an LD, it is impossible to select a language used in a superimposed dialogue displayed on a screen (for example, to select superimposed dialogues in both of the Japanese and original languages) to display them on a screen, or when listening is directed to music recorded on a CD, it is impossible to select a kind of sound or voice in the music (for example, to make alternate selection of lyrics in English language version and Japanese language version for listening).
A movie production has often been subjected to different cutting processes to prepare the same-titled movies in different versions such as a theater version, an original version and the like. When there has been made an attempt to record simultaneously the same-titled movies in different versions on an LD or the like, it has been necessary to make a duplicate record of common portions thereof in order to permit reproduction without interruption. Accordingly, the same-titled movies have actually been compelled to be recorded on separate disks. It has therefore been impossible for a user to select a different version of the same-titled movies to enjoy it in a single disk.
It has also been impossible to record a plurality of simultaneously advancing pictures in a single story. It has therefore been impossible to make a free choice of, for example, one of a plurality of pictures obtained at different camera angles to enjoy it.
The interactive and variegated reproduction can be achieved by recording, on a navi-pack in an interleaved unit described later, amend address of the interleaved unit and a start address of the next interleaved unit, and reading them out.
When the navi-pack cannot be read out or a reading-out error occurs for some reason or other, it becomes impossible to identify which data already being selected (for example, to xe2x80x9ctheater versionxe2x80x9d or the xe2x80x9coriginal versionxe2x80x9d in the above-mentioned example) corresponds to data (real time data) on a disk, which are now being read out, and subsequent reproduction cannot be achieved. When information for a period of one hour is recorded on an interleave structure, only a failure in reading out the first logical address may cause reproduction to be completely impossible for a subsequent period of one hour.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information recording apparatus in which, even when there occurs a problem of a failure of reading out or a reading out error, information can be recorded so as to be reproducible even after the occurrence of such a problem, and an information record medium on which information can be recorded by means of the above-mentioned information recording apparatus; and an information reproduction apparatus which permits reproduction even after the occurrence of problem of the failure of reading out or the reading out error.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information record medium, whose information is to be reproduced by means of an information reproduction apparatus which is provided with a selecting means for selecting one of data groups each comprising a plurality of data units, and reads out a first identification information for identifying the selected data group, as well as, sequentially reads out a second identification information for identifying the data group which is recorded in the data unit and to which the data unit belongs, and reproduces information of the data unit having the second identification information which is identical with the first identification information, wherein: the information record medium is provided with (1) a plurality of data groups provided with a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information and (2) reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups; and the second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, is recorded in each of the data units.
In accordance with the information record medium thus constructed, there is provided (1) a plurality of data groups provided with a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information and (2) reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups; and the second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, is recorded in each of the data units, and the information recorded on the information record medium can therefore be reproduced by means of the information reproduction apparatus having the above-mentioned construction in a manner as mentioned below. At first, when one of the data groups comprising a plurality of data units is selected by means of the selecting means, the first identification information for identifying the thus selected data group is read out, and the second identification information for identifying the data group which is recorded in the data unit, and to which the data unit belongs, is sequentially read out. There is achieved reproduction of information of the data unit having the second identification information which is identical with the first identification information.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording apparatus for recording information on an information record medium, whose information is to be reproduced by means of an information reproduction apparatus which is provided with a selecting means for selecting one of data groups each comprising a plurality of data units, and reads out a first identification information for identifying the selected data group, as well as, sequentially reads out a second identification information for identifying the data group which is recorded in the data unit and to which the data unit belongs, and reproduces information of the data unit having the second identification information which is identical with the first identification information, said apparatus comprising: a first recording means for recording a plurality of data groups including a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information, and reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups, on the information record medium; and a second recording means for recording the second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, on each of the data units.
In accordance with the information recording apparatus thus constructed, (1) a plurality of data groups including a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information and (2) reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups, are recorded on the information record medium by means of the first recording means, and the second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, is recorded on each of the data units by means of the second recording means. The information recorded on the information record medium can be reproduced by means of the information reproduction apparatus having the above-mentioned construction in a manner as mentioned below. More specifically, when one of the data groups comprising a plurality of data units is selected by means of the selecting means of the information reproduction apparatus, the first identification information for identifying the thus selected data group is read out, and the second identification information for identifying the data group which is recorded in the data unit, and to which the data unit belongs, is sequentially readout. There is achieved reproduction of information of the data unit having the second identification information which is identical with the first identification information.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information reproduction apparatus for reproducing information from an information record medium which has a plurality of data groups including a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information, and reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups, and in which medium second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, is recorded on each of the data units, said apparatus comprising: a selecting means for selecting a single data group from the plurality of data groups; a first information read out means for reading out the first identification information for identifying the selected data group, from the reproduction control information; a second information read out means for sequentially reading out the second identification information of each of the data units; a judging means for judging identity of the first identification information read-out with the second identification information read-out; and a reproduction means for reproducing information from the data unit having the second identification information read-out which is identical with the read-out first identification information, when the first identification information read-out and the second identification information read-out are judged to be identical with each other.
In accordance with the information reproduction apparatus thus constructed, upon reproducing the information from the information record medium which has (1) a plurality of data groups provided with a plurality of data units having at least one of video information and audio information and (2) reproduction control information having the first identification information for identifying each of the plurality of data groups, and in which medium the second identification information for identifying the data group to which each of the data units belongs, is recorded on each of the data units, a single data group of the plurality of data groups is selected by means of the selecting means, and the first identification information for identifying the thus selected data group is read out from the reproduction control information by means of the first information read out means. Then, the second identification information of each of the data units is sequentially read out by means of the second information read out means. The identity of the first identification information as read-out with the second identification information as read-out is judged by means of the judging means. When the first identification information as read-out and the second identification information as read-out are judged to be identical with each other, the information from the data unit having the second identification information as read-out which is identical with the first identification information as read-out is reproduced by means of the reproduction means.